January 2024

A call to OVD-Info hotline or a message to our Telegram bot are the easiest ways to report persecution and get a free consultation. Specialists will advise you on how your situation may develop, and instruct you about your next steps.

• 305,357 users were connected to our Telegram-bot
• our legal instructions were viewed 8,400 times
• we received 851 calls on our hotline

In total, our operators and volunteers spoke on the phone for 33 hours, 19 minutes and 3 seconds.

Lawyers of the hotline

• conducted 148 consultations by phone;
• responded to 83 letters received at legal@ovdinfo.org;
• audited 3 appeals received through the generator;
• prepared and submitted 1 cassation appeals.

Legal aid

We provide and coordinate legal assistance in cases related to the restrictions of freedom of peaceful assembly or freedom of speech. Our attorneys visit those detained in police departments, support defendants in Russian administrative and criminal courts, and file complaints with the European Court of Human Rights.

Assistance on cases of administrative offences

In January, our lawyers, jurists, and defenders

• went to the police departments 15 times, where they helped 18 detainees.
• helped 44 people in court sessions on administrative cases.
• managed to terminate, cancel or return at least 4 cases of administrative offence.

Criminal cases

Our lawyers and jurists in January 2024

• Were present during 2 searches;
• Accompanied clients on 7 interrogations;
• Entered into 5 new criminal cases;
• In total, at the end of January, lawyers from OVD-Info worked on 73 criminal cases against 83 people in 43 cities.

We consider all the charges and criminal cases brought in connection with them to be illegal and politically motivated.

News and media

The authorities that violate human rights prefer to avoid publicity. But as they say, silence in the face of evil is itself evil. We believe that information protects, and that media and social attention can prevent violations and change the whole picture.

We have prepared and released

• 324 express news about political persecution in 69 regions of Russia;
• 7 longreads on political persecution

What you should pay attention to

• «Our home is here»: On the ground at the Bashkortostan protests
  On 17 January, a court in Russia’s remote Bashkortostan region sentenced indigenous rights activist Fail Alsynov to four years in prison. Thousands came to the final court hearing to protest — a rare sight in wartime Russia. Here is an account of the events of that day as seen by an OVD-Info reporter on the ground.
• «They took my Mom away». How the Russian authorities persecute protestors in Bashkortostan
  It’s been weeks since the mass protests in Bashkortostan. Since then, police have been investigating, conducting mass arrests and random searches. Some of those arrested were abused. At least one man, Rifat Dautov, was found dead in police custody in unclear circumstances. Bashkortostanis have created support groups to help potential victims of persecution. People are seriously scared. We spoke to the relatives of those arrested.
• «Cutting off the air supply»: how the authorities are persecuting so-called ‘foreign agents’ in the face of war — an analysis of legislation
  At the end of 2021, OVD-Info issued the first report on legislation against so-called ‘foreign agents’. Since then, there have been many changes to the laws and in the practice of their application.
• The Dissident Digest — free weekly newsletter in English!
  The Digest is your window into the dark world of the Kremlin’s war on human rights and civil society in Russia. The Dissident Digest informs you through data, news and explainers. The newsletter is by no means all-encompassing but we strive to provide you with a snapshot of most important developments.

If you want to be informed about political repressions in Russia you can subscribe to our Digest, follow us on Twitter or visit our website! Everything helps.

Reports, research, and advocacy

At our organisation, we examine emerging problems from various angles, which helps us work out present-day tactical solutions and lay the strategic foundation for future systemic change. The results of our analyses are published as reports, data sets, or special projects.

• Repressions Report. December 2023
  Individuals sentenced for poetic readings, popular author and translator persecuted, a leftist activist released from custody — this chronicle by OVD-Info provides a quick summary of Russian political repressions in December.
• Persecution of the anti-war movement report. January 2024
  Twenty-three months ago, Russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine. Immediately following the anti-war protests in the initial days of the invasion, an unprecedented wave of repression unfolded in Russia. OVD-Info continues to gather and analyse data on the persecution of anti-war expression in Russia and the annexed Republic of Crimea.
• «According to OVD-Info» newsletter
  At our organisation, we examine emerging problems from various angles, which helps us work out present-day tactical solutions and lay the strategic foundation for future systemic change. The results of our analyses are published as reports, data sets, or special projects. Our research team is very active, and it is difficult to put all of their work into one letter. Therefore, we have a newsletter available in English. You can subscribe to follow our news and publications of upcoming reports and datasets.

How much we collected

Total transfers

• 17,238 donations
• RUB 17,657,035

The figure includes

• 4,004 donations made through the GlobalGiving platform (RUB 8,857,705). As per our agreement with GlobalGiving, we are currently receiving deferred transfers from the previous year.
• 581 direct transfers made to OVD-Info clients through the Zaodno platform, totalling RUB 549,932.

How much we spent

In January, we expended a total of RUB 25,863,448, all of which was funded by your donations and transfers from various sources. Here’s a breakdown of how the funds were used:

• RUB 7,236,413 — legal assistance. Our lawyers and human rights defenders worked tirelessly to provide legal aid to detainees in police departments and courts, and coordinated assistance in criminal cases throughout the month.
• RUB 3,022,781 — work of our hotline operators and reporters. Our monitoring group received calls to the hotline and messages in the telegram bot every day, and reported news to aid detainees, not only during large-scale actions, but also for regular detentions that occur almost every day in Russia.
• RUB 3,166,401 — the work of our media team. We believe that information can be a powerful tool in protecting political rights. To make information about political rights violations public, we prepared and published significant articles, created guides for major criminal cases, launched special projects, gave interviews, and talked about it on all available social networks.
• RUB 2,145,728 — data projects, reports, research, and advocacy. We collect and analyse data on political persecution to make informed decisions and help journalists and researchers understand the situation. Based on the collected data, we prepare comprehensive reports that analyse how legislative practices and repressive laws enable political persecution.
• RUB 2,265,378 — the work of our IT team. We developed tools and services that help to protect ourselves and others, ensure the stable operation of our entire system, and share our work with other initiatives.
• RUB 848,879 — volunteer coordination. Our volunteers are our backbone and the best team of like-minded individuals. We are committed to expanding our community and ensuring that volunteers actively participate in the project’s life.
• RUB 4,969,122 — operational support of the project. Thanks to this work, which is not always visible, we continue to help those who need help and spend our energy and resources more efficiently. It includes the costs of team members who ensure the daily work and planning of the project and are responsible for the sustainability of OVD-Info in the long term, budget planning, strategic goals, communication with donors and financial transparency. This also includes the costs of caring for team members: psychological assistance, development of the competencies of participants and their safety.
• RUB 1,884,331 — infrastructure costs. Since October 2023, we have included payments for key services (such as telephony) in the expenses of the respective areas. Infrastructure costs encompass components directly related to the team’s operations and the overall project, including office expenses, accounting fees, commissions to infrastructure partners who assist us, and applicable taxes.
• RUB 324,415 — bank account maintenance and payment systems commission. We use several payment systems, and the interest rates are all different. This amount is calculated as a percentage of donations and expenses on the account. It depends not only on our expenses but also on the amount of income. The increase in the amount was also influenced by an increase in the commission from the payment system that we use to accept and process donations.

Thank you so much for being with us!